Let's meet the new designer and photographer Anna Sophie Berger, who told me about her work, her last collection m/m2, her inspiration and how she combines Fashion and photography. New talent rising!

Tell me few things about m/m2 collection.

Inspired by early Malevich drawings and the black square, Louise Bourgeois’ graphic fabric works and Vanessa Beecroft’s aquarell paintings I focused on the geometry oft the square. Colours and shapes are reduced and limited to a prefixed form, then transformed and disrupted. Reading through Malevich’ constructivist philosophy, I found myself intrigued by his idea of achieving a point of zero, without calling it the end, but the start of a new form. Applying this idea to a collection led to silk screen prints of three different sizes of squares, black lines on shades of white, a bright blue being the only color, symbolizing the full, filled square. Whereas the smallest print appear like an overall grid, the biggest looses itself in mere lines, not revealing the square any more. Working

with the square as a condition for construction, it became the framework for my pattern making. The square basis is broken and fragmented by cut outs, 90 degree edges dominate the outlines. The lines all follow the straight grain and the limitation of my concept urged me to find ways to fit the flat, straight lines to the curves of the body. For half a year squares became my philosophy and it was my very own search for that point of pure zero, ‚the end and the beginning’ as stated by Malevich. With his words: „a liberation from freedom to create a new liberty“.

The title, m/m2 is relating to the geometry of the squares, a measurement that i applied on the body. The name symbolizes a fictional formula, that connects the two dimensional idea of the square as an area as well as the one dimensional line that forms each side of a square. The three dimensional volume can only be seen when the garment is worn. I was fascinated by the fact that the pieces could be put on the wall as flat squares and become volumes when on the body.

m/m2

Your inspiration?

Anything. I have no prefixed ideas. It could be a person one evening telling me passonately about the physics of the univers, a child asking a question that would haunt me for days. Colours and lights, ideas and mind blowing revelations. A book with a theorie that I finally understand, a green tree, a symmetry. But above all always human beings, their gestures, expressions, what they create and what they love, how they talk, walk. That is where I always end up after all.

What interests you in photography?

Its means to capture my selections from reality accurately and quick. I like that it can be crude as well as impressionist and that the mechanical character of the camera is put between the existence of the image and me as the creator.

Photography or Fashion?

I don’t choose.

kitzbühel, 2010

How do you combine these two areas? (photography and fashion)

They are both expressions of my ideas of the world. They are means of selection, out of the plenty. My fashion needs photography as a media to emphasise its aura, its direction. To create fashion, one gives meaning to the garments, creates a world around them. Otherwise, they would be exchangable objects of use, replacable. But actually I just like to not mix them up, to treat them very singularly, each by itself. I think that is essential for me in order to take them both to an elaborate level, that is not just working for another media but resting within the boarders of its own technical possibilities. Limitation as for me mostly leads to a greater freedom. Yes I would say they sometimes have no more in common than the person that is applying them and her perception of her world.

Favourite photographer and designer?

I admire adeline andre for her minimal and pure design, her colours and her strictness. I recently found out about sophie calle’s work „les aveugles“ - the blind. I love the way she portraits the persons and engages in describing their perception of things, that are characterised by a culture of seeing people, in which she as the photographer is the symbol of visual perception.

Tell me few things about yourself!

I am very shy. But I love discussion. I don’t do small-talk, it appalls me. I always mean what I say. I read and write a lot. I hate the fact that all humans die. Anything can raise my attention. I love classical music. And all sorts of foods. And above all I love creation.